Gamja Tang: Pork Bone Soup

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg pork spine bones
• 2 tbsp doenjang, Korean fermented soybean paste
• 2 tbsp gochugaru, Korean red pepper flakes
• 8 cloves garlic, crushed
• 600 g potatoes, peeled, cut into large chunks
• 3 tbsp perilla seeds, deulkkae, ground or whole
• 2 litres water, for the main simmer
• For blanching
• 2 litres water, brought to a full boil

Method

1. 1
   Place the pork spine bones in a large pot with enough cold water to cover and bring to a full boil over high heat; blanch for 5–10 minutes so that the blood and grey foam are drawn out into the water rather than clouding your finished broth. Drain and discard the blanching water entirely. Rinse each bone thoroughly under cold running water, pulling away any dark residue or clinging foam until the bones are visibly pale and clean.
2. 2
   Return the cleaned bones to the pot with 2 litres of fresh cold water, bring to the boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. Add the doenjang, gochugaru, and crushed garlic, stirring until the doenjang has fully dissolved into the liquid so it seasons the broth evenly rather than sitting in concentrated pockets. The broth will appear brick-red and murky at this stage — that is correct.
3. 3
   This is where the dish lives or dies: simmer uncovered or partially covered for 2–3 hours, long enough for the rich, sticky substance from inside the spine bones to pass into the broth, for the doenjang to mellow from sharp paste into deep savouriness, and for the meat to begin pulling away from the bone. At the 90-minute mark, taste the broth — if a raw, pungent paste edge is still present, the simmer must continue. The finished broth should coat the back of a spoon and smell deeply savoury, with no raw-paste edge remaining.
4. 4
   Add the potato chunks to the pot in the final 30–40 minutes of cooking, timing them this way so they absorb the seasoned broth without overcooking into mush. They are ready when a knife passes through them with no resistance but the pieces still hold their shape. Do not extend cooking beyond this point — the potatoes will disintegrate and cannot be recovered.
5. 5
   Stir in the perilla seeds and simmer for a further 2–3 minutes so the seeds release their nutty, slightly fatty depth into the broth, rounding the forward heat of the gochugaru. A faint sheen should appear across the surface of the broth as the perilla oils come free. Serve immediately in deep bowls with the bones, potatoes, and broth together.